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A human actor was on set to play the original Jabba the Hutt in the first Star Wars movie, but neither the actor nor the scene made the final cut in 1977. The notorious slug-like gangster is one of the key villains in the Star Wars movies, causing trouble for the galaxy's heroes from the Clone Wars era through the rise of the Galactic Empire. While Jabba's most prominent onscreen role in the series was in Return of the Jedi, the character was originally supposed to appear in the first Star Wars film.

Jabba was originally supposed to appear in A New Hope, where he would have crossed paths with Han Solo. Ther were many deleted scenes in A New Hope, Jabba's being one of them, but he was restored for the 1997 Special Edition. While audiences of the late 1990s and beyond saw Han talking with a CGI Jabba the Hutt,...

One of the most infamous deleted scenes from the original "Star Wars" was an encounter Han Solo had with Jabba the Hutt years before the character was introduced in "Return of the Jedi." The scene takes place before he takes off from Mos Eisley with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in tow and was a thing of legend for over a decade before George Lucas reincorporated it back into the film for the 1997 Special Edition release.

The idea to make Jabba the Hutt a giant slug creature didn't come up until later on in the series and the original version of the character was just an Irish actor named Declan Mulholland wearing furs, looking more like a "Game of Thrones" character than a galactic mob boss.

It's reported that Lucas never intended for the actor to appear onscreen and that a stop motion creature of some sort would have been...

Despite how it appears, Han Solo calling Jabba the Hutt a “wonderful human being” in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope’s Special Edition isn't actually a plot hole. George Lucas' modifications to Star Wars’ original trilogy were certainly unpopular at the time. Nevertheless, some of the Special Editions’ technical alterations were positive and have therefore been increasingly embraced by fans, even as other changes have continued to be controversial.

While Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back was left largely untouched, both A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi had significant amendments and additions. Perhaps the most famous of these was the scene that was changed from showing Han Solo shooting first at Greedo. Of course, this was not the end of George Lucas’ tinkering, and this scene, along with several others in the trilogy, continued to be altered in...

Sometimes when you futz with a franchise, things get lost in the shuffle. Little details like, who exactly is voicing Jabba the Hutt? No, seriously. Back in 1977, actor Declan Mulholland found himself inadvertently playing the Hutt crime lord. Originally Mulholland was a stand-in, meant to be replaced in post-production with a stop motion creature. Due to budget constraints, this wouldn’t happen until Lucas released the Special Edition in 1997. The insertion of a CGI Jabba to “A New Hope” has been a point of consternation for fans ever since. But like most of the Special Edition changes it was baked into the history of Star Wars, never to be closely examined again. Until I saw this: Via MoviePilot A screenshot from the end credits of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” in which it is proclaimed Jabba the Hutt played himself. As much as I’d love for Hutt Cartel to secretly be running Hollywood,...

The Star Wars Blu-ray release may have broken sales records, but what extras could have been included on the discs? Here’s Cameron’s list of annoying omissions…

Although I am perfectly happy with my Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray box set (and boy, am I happy), the word "complete" has slightly irked me. Though there are over forty hours of juicy space opera goodness in the extras, I still think it isn’t quite complete.

Apart from essentials, such as trailers and TV spots, there are also a wealth of materials from previous DVD releases missing, such as the deleted scenes from the prequels and numerous documentaries. So, it’s probably best to hang on to those older discs.

Anyway, included below are five slices of Star Wars ephemera that would have been much appreciated if they had been included – maybe we’ll see them next time on the 3D box set…...

James T Nov 19, 2019

Not all of George Lucas' changes to the Star Wars Original Trilogy were welcome, especially these 10...

In 1983, George Lucas’ tripartite masterpiece was complete. The Star Wars trilogy had finished and secured a highly regarded place in the history of cinema. But Lucas had big plans for his greatest work. In the years following the release of the films, they were, I’d argue, mutilated. I know I'm not alone in this feeling.

A load of ill-fitting CGI was tacked on (though changing the Sarlacc was probably for the best -- anything to make it look less like genitalia in the desert), sound effects were changed, dialogue was dubbed over, and most appallingly of all, Greedo shot first. I may be a purist, but to me, this is the equivalent of taking a painting that you’ve spent years working on and that is beloved by all, and...

George Lucas hasn’t been able to resist making the odd nick and tuck to the original Star Wars trilogy over the years. Here’s James’ list of the worst alterations...

In 1983, George Lucas’s tripartite masterpiece was complete. The Star Wars trilogy had finished and secured a highly regarded place in the history of cinema. But Lucas had big plans for his greatest work. In the years following the release of the films, they were, I’d argue, mutilated. I know I'm not alone in this feeling.

A load of ill-fitting CGI was tacked on (though changing the Sarlacc was probably for the best. Anything to make it look less like genitalia in the desert), sound effects were changed, dialogue was dubbed over, and most appallingly of all, Greedo shot first. I may be a purist, but to me, this is the equivalent of taking a painting that you...